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Let me tell you about pocketknives...they are like motorcycles. Basically if they are not made in Europe or the US, they're probably not any count ("not any count" is a southern expression meaning no good). The best ones-again like motorcycles- are probably made in Germany. I usually carry a Boker. You've got to be careful...lots of the old US Knife compainies are making knives in weird places like China...and we all know not to buy stuff from China.

The blade is 2.91" which is legal in all 50 states (Texas' legal limit is 5 1/2", and quite a few states limit legal knives to 3 1/2" or 3").
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I recently picked a small hunting knife with a 4 1/4" blade. I had planned on using it at campsites in case of bear/cougar attacks, which seem to be more common these days. Does the above quote mean that I would be in violation of American knife/weapon laws crossing into your country with it stored in my pannier or tank bag?

They had a public sell off of confiscated and abandoned airport stuff in Austin a year ago..the TV folks panned across around 8 large tupperware bins filled with pocketknives...it was stunning to see that many and from a short time period. I need to go check that event out sometime. I bet that is where the EBAY guys stock up....seems like any knife in the bins was $5!

Steve Henson
SABMWRA MOA Club#62's Flat Fixer/ current forum moderator
It's not the breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away-D.Dillon/G. Strait

4 1/4" is way too close for attacking critters for me to the end of my hand...Bear Spray gets my vote!

Boy howdy, yer right about that! Would NEVER consider a knife, or even a sword, as defense against a large animal!!! I'm not a fan of any spray either, having carried Mace back in the day, and having observed that defense sprays are NOT selective about who they disable during a fracas! If ya got the time and presence of mind to get it into play, nothing like a large caliber handgun to dissuade the beasts!!!!

Not a pocket knife per se. I have a lifelong friend and MOA member who is a knife maker. He recently presented this one to me as a gift. He calls it his "Cat Claw" design. Blade is made from old circle saw blade that was rusted and pitted. These blades were commonly used on farms to saw lumber and were 2 feet in diameter and larger. Becoming harder and harder to find as many ended up walls with pictures painted on them.

The scales are hedge, also known as Osage Orange, that I cut from an old fence post he had. Hedge is pretty hard, dense and rot proof and was used thru out the Midwest as fence posts.

Here is a trap spring knife he made, one of 8, that I presented to the BOD. It has the BMW MOA logo inserted into the handle.

For Christmas, Nancy gave me a display case to hold all of the knives that he has made.

I recently picked a small hunting knife with a 4 1/4" blade. I had planned on using it at campsites in case of bear/cougar attacks, which seem to be more common these days. Does the above quote mean that I would be in violation of American knife/weapon laws crossing into your country with it stored in my pannier or tank bag?

I would think that as long as you don't carry it on your person around in town or while traveling it should not be a problem. Carrying it concealed might make it fall under general concealed weapons laws. Mostly switchblades and knifes with spring loaded blades that can be propelled seem to be ones controlled by fed laws of interstate travel. Around camp grounds I have carried a large Bowie knife with a blade of 7+ inches openly with no problem. when traveling, keep it in a side case etc and that should be OK. Also check with the boarder crossing regs. that may be the biggest hangup right there.

It seems that knife laws are mostly state/local issues and are somewhat fuzzy at best and vary widely from state to state and even county to county. Other than a pocket sized knife i would not carry one around town but for camping or fishing/hunting not so much worry.

I recently picked a small hunting knife with a 4 1/4" blade. I had planned on using it at campsites in case of bear/cougar attacks, which seem to be more common these days. Does the above quote mean that I would be in violation of American knife/weapon laws crossing into your country with it stored in my pannier or tank bag?

I'm most familiar with Texas law, but I suspect that, with regard to this subject, most states are similar. If you have a blade that is longer than the legal limit, then you should keep it in a manner that isn't quickly available to you. I wouldn't put it in my tank bag, but your pannier ought to be okay. I say that because, in Texas, if the blade is in the trunk of your car then you're certainly okay. If its on the floorboard of your backseat in a case or sheath then you're probably okay. But, if its on the front passenger seat you're likely to be in trouble.

Here's an example to make my point. I'm an assistant DA and I used to prosecute this kind of stuff. I once had a case where a chef was returning home from work around midnight. Chefs at fine restaurants, it seems, use their own cutlery. He transported his blades, including several long bladed carving knives, rolled in a leather wrap on the passenger's front seat. This particular night he was pulled over for some traffic violation. When the chef saw the officer's lights in his rearview mirror, he leaned over and put his knives on the floorboard. From behind the chef's car the police officer could see that he was doing this (the police call it a "furtive gesture"), and he had no idea what was going on. For all the officer knew it was cocaine, or a submachine gun, or a body part, or whatever. All he knows is that he's a big-city cop, its midnight, and the guy he's pulling over is trying to hide something in his car. So the officer is on high alert. When the officer got to the car the first thing he asked was why the guy leaned over to his front passenger seat. The chef, who was wearing his chef's clothing, pointed out the knives and told his story. The officer arrested him for the knives that were over 5 1/2" long. Now, this police officer obviously used no judgment at all. He should have said something like, "sir, in the future you might want to put those knives in your trunk," or something like that. In any event, after I confirmed with the restaurant that he was just going home from work, I got approval to dismiss the case.

Anyway, my point is that if you have a long bladed knife with you while on a motorcycle, then it ought to be in a place where you can't get at it. The pannier is probably fine.

As a personal confession I will add that some years ago I purchased a number of the Leatherman Micra and Multi-tools from the TSA confiscated lots - each of my bikes now has its own Leatherman in the tool pouch.

Let me tell you about pocketknives...they are like motorcycles. Basically if they are not made in Europe or the US, they're probably not any count ("not any count" is a southern expression meaning no good). The best ones-again like motorcycles- are probably made in Germany. I usually carry a Boker. You've got to be careful...lots of the old US Knife compainies are making knives in weird places like China...and we all know not to buy stuff from China.

Knife VS. Animals

Got to laugh about using a knife against bears or cougars. My daughter tree-planted in the Rockies for a couple of years and said that cougar sightings creeped them out because they always jump you from the back. I'm not saying that a knife wouldn't work in all cases but that you'd have to carry a knife around for about three hundred years to statistcally even see a cougar in North America. As for bears, I'll play dead with my hands over my head and suck it up til he gets bored. I've seen bears up close, and they're quite formidable. I have a German Shepherd dog and when he gets going, not too many would take him on. And he's only 95 pounds, not 600+ I'm no Davey Crockett...
But I must admit, like most boys I love knives and have a few lock-blades: a Gerber Titanium from the 70's and a Puma from the 60's. I never take them on trips though, for fears, legal and otherwise that it won't end well if they are ever used. As a former defence lawyer, I constantly represented guys who carried knives and were very sorry when the s**t hit the fan with arrest, or when they were left maimed after knife fights. I think I learned by their experience to just carry the smallest utility knife on trips. Obviously hunters and chefs have different needs.